2013 Rocky Mountain Altitude 27.5 All-Mountain Bikes

The Canadian bike company Rocky Mountain is the most recent manufacture to add to the onslaught of 27.5″ wheel mountain bikes for 2013. They have designed a new Altitude model with the exclusive middle wheel size for the most recent 6″ travel trail bikes to be unleashed.
It appears, Rocky Mountain kept very little from the outgoing Altitude model, other than it’s name. The 2013 Rocky Mountain Altitude 27.5 mountain bike has longer travel, getting notched up to 150mm on the front and rear, new impressive adjustable geometry, and a complete look makeover that updates all the features that being released on the other 2013 models from Rocky Mountain.

This newest Altitude kept the SmoothLink four-bar suspension platform, but they dropped the older rocker-link setup and designed a top tube mounted link that Rocky uses on their 26″ Element models. They are also utilizing the Angular Bushing Concept from the Element as well. These angular contact polymer bushings are reported to have a 105% boost in the rear stiffness of the bike, and big weight savings of 120 grams, with less maintenance to top it off. Though, they still used regular cartridge bearings for the main pivot.

The Altitude 27.5 inch has a new top tube-mounted linkage and rear shock adjustment iteration.

Maybe the Altitude 27.5’s most interesting innovation is the new Rocky Mountain RIDE-9 platform, which provides an amazing amount of customization to the geometry and suspension with two simple pairs of ingenious chips located at the front rear shock mount that can be rotated independently. This has the capacity to not only adjust the handling, with a variation of the head-tube angle from 66.6-68.3° and the BB rise or drop from +10mm to -10mm, but has the capability for the shock rates on the mountain bike to be finer tuned to adapt for heavier-weight or lighter weight riders that usually have to set their shock pressure above / below the recommended range.

It’s reported the new Altitude is plush on trail obstacles, but is also more efficient to pedal than their current models. They have intentionally set up the beginning rear shock rate to be steeper for the first 20 millimeters of rear travel, which will be the Pedaling Platform Zone, but the rate flattens out in the middle of the travel for a full plush zone. Then the shock rate climbs again for controlled bottom-out after the 110 millimeter zone.

Other features include internal cable routing with include dropper post cable as well, and a tapered head-tube, a wide BB92 shell that uses press fit bearing cups and a chain guide mount, the rear axle being 142x12mm with an adjustable Fox quick release skewer, some workable stainless steel chainstay plates on both the chain stay and the down tube, and a cool rubber coated seat post collar that will keep any muck from getting into the seat-tube.

They are setting up the new Altitude 27.5″ mountain bikes with five models starting the first of spring 2013. Carbon frame weight for the version with carbon chainstays shown above is approximately 2,300 grams or 5.07 pounds.

The upper-end Rocky Mountain Altitude 790 MSL, that is shown above and at the top of the page is built with full carbon fiber on both front and rear triangle, has a Fox 34 Float 150 FIT CTD shack, with Schwalbe tires, Rock Shox Reverb post, and Race Face parts. their suggested retail is going to be $6,899.99. This full-carbon model will be sold as a frame only for $2,799.99 as well.

With their Altitude 770 MSL model, they kept the carbon front triangle, but changed out the rear triangle for an alloy version, kept the same Reverb post, Race Face gear, and Schwalbe goods. The other items that are different are the Fox shock isn’t Kashima coated, and this model sports a Shimano Deore XT 2×10 drivetrain but using a Race Face Turbine crankset, Rocky Mountain also take care of the 29er wheels here. Retail is projected at$5,399.99.

Down the list a little is the Altitude 750 MSL priced at $4,499.99, that has the same carbon and alloy getup as the 770, same rear shock, crankset, seatpost, and wheelset as the 770 but utilizes the Fox open-bath 34 Float front fork, and a component mixture with SRAM X7-X9 and Avid Elixir 50 brakes, and a bit burlier cockpit selection.

And the regular Altitude 750 will be the all-aluminum frame model, and has mixed drivetrain composed of Shimano Deore XT-SLX 2×10 and a Race Face Evolve crankset, and a regular seatpost, priced at US$3,399.99. There will also be an entry level Altitude 730 aluminum has a Rock Shox Revelation RL Solo Air front fork and a Rock Shox Monarch RT shock, mixed components of SRAM X5-X7 2×10, and a heavier in-house wheelset with Race Face steering and post components for $2,849.99.

New 2013 Rocky Mountain Slayer SS chassis for slopestyle.

Rocky Mountain developed a new slope-style bike named the Slayer SS, which utilizes the same Slayer alloy frame tubes but pumped it up with 4 inches of firmly tuned rear end travel for solid landing.

The geometry is specific to the genre with short 406mm chain stays, with no front derailleur, a 24 inch effective top-tube, a 69-degree head-tube angle, and a very stable 25mm of BB drop.